desert / wilderness

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The Greek, Hebrew and Latin that is translated as “desert” or “wilderness” in English is translated in a number of ways:

  • Mairasi: “a place where noisiness is cut off (or: stops)” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Muna: pandaso bhalano pr “big barren-field” (source: René van den Berg)
  • Balinese: “barren field” (source: J.L. Swellengrebel in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 75ff. )
  • Wantoat: “uninhabited place” (source: Holzhausen 1991, p. 38)
  • Umiray Dumaget Agta: “where no people dwell” (source: Larson 1998, p. 98)
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “where no house is” (source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
  • Amri Karbi: “waterless region/place” (source: Philippova 2021, p. 368)
  • Ocotlán Zapotec: “large empty place” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Pa’o Karen: “jungle” (denoting a place without any towns, villages and tilled fields) (source: Gordon Luce in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 153f. )
  • Low German translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006: “steppe”
  • Yakan: “the lonely place” (source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “a land where no people lived” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “the place with no inhabitants” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Matumbi uses various term: lubele (desert, sandy place without water) — used in John 11:54, lupu’ngu’ti (a place where no people live, can be a scrub land, a forest, or a savanna) — used in Mark 1:3 et al.), and mwitu (a forest, a place where wild animals live) — used in Mark 1:13 et al.) (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
  • Chichewa Contemporary translation (2002/2016): chipululu: a place uninhabited by people with thick forest and bush (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

Note that in Luke 15:4, usually a term is used that denotes pastoral land, such as “eating/grazing-place” in Tagbanwa (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation).

See also wilderness and desolate wilderness.

complete verse (Psalm 107:4)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 107:4:

  • Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
    “Some wandered in the empty wilderness,
    without finding a path going to the city where they settled.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Newari:
    “Some people were walking around in the wilderness
    unable to find the road.
    They went to look for a city to live in
    but were not able to find one.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon:
    “There-were people who journeyed in the/a desolate-place;
    they could- not -see the way going to the city where there-were people dwelling.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Laarim:
    “Some of them walked in the desert,
    they did not find a way that goes to the city
    where they would live.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
  • Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
    “Wengine walitangatanga jangwani bila kuiona njia,
    ya kwenda katika mji wa kukaa.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
  • English:
    “Some of those who returned from those countries wandered in the desert;
    they were lost and had no homes to live in.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Psalm 107:4 - 107:6

In this first strophe (verses 4-9) people who have wandered in desert wastes are singled out as the object of Yahweh’s care. It is not certain whether this actually refers to lost travelers in general, or is intended to refer to the exodus from Egypt or to the return of the Israelites from exile. A city to dwell in is the way most translations render the Hebrew phrase “a city of dwelling” in verse 4b; but it may mean “an inhabited city” (New American Bible; similarly Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Bible en français courant, Bible de Jérusalem, New Jerusalem Bible; New Jerusalem Bible “settled place”). This may better fit the context, the meaning being that the lost travelers found no city where they could get help (so Anderson).

In verse 5 Good News Translation “had given up all hope” (see also Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) translates “their nefesh fainted in them” (see the verb “to faint” in 77.3b); the words can mean “they were about to die” (see Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Dahood, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, New International Version, New American Bible). Bible en français courant has “they were about to lose courage”; perhaps the best translation is “they became discouraged” or “they were plunged into despair.”

The language of verse 6 is repeated in verses 13, 19, and 28; in verses 13 and 19 the verb translated “called” is different but has the same meaning; and the verb “to save” in verses 13 and 19 is a different verb from the one used in verse 6, and in verse 28 still another verb is used; all three are closely synonymous. Each of these four verses serves as a transition from the first part of the stanza (which describes the plight of the people) and the second part (which tells how Yahweh saved them). The verb cried (for help) in line a appears also in 34.17; 77.1; and delivered is used in 7.1.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .